Wirgin Edixa Edinex

[Stephen]

On it's way from Ebay, a nice Wirgin Edixa Edinex 35mm camera, 1952 vintage, or thereabouts, with a Steinheil lens and the Compur shutter.

Based on the pre-war Wirgin Edixa Edinette, it was reintroduced after being sold as an Adox camera from just before and during the war. Sadly the Wirgin company were caught up in the problems with the Nazis, and being a Jewish family owned firm had the camera business confiscated, but the Wirgin Brothers managed to escape to the US, buying back the factories after the war.





There are many versions of the Edinex 35mm camera, they made them with cheaper lenses, up to the best available to them, and simple shutters to more complex models. Rangefinder versions were also done.

The Edinex camera was unusual in having an opening back hatch, and drop plate bottom, features adopted by Altissa, making the Edixa easy to load film into compared to Leica.

They had collapsible lenses, and thin bodies, making the camera very slim indeed, but it introduced more parts. Wirgin were well made, but famous for being hand assembled, and this made servicing them difficult, mainly with the reflex Wirgin Edixa.

Popular due mainly to the slim pocketable size, and good image standards, there were amongst the first German makers to import into the UK after the war. Photopia ltd., trading then as North Staffs Photographics Services, imported them as partially assembled, to finish the assembly in the UK, to beat the enormous import duties and purchase tax that crippled other importers in the early 1950's.






I already have a 1939 Adox version of the camera, but it needs full restoration due to corrosion to the body. It seems the Adox versions were not so well made as the Wirgin made versions.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

The Wirgin Edixa Edinex came in the post today from Ebay, but it has a somewhat serious issue to be solved., and a very good clean up.

It meets the seller description as such, the shutter works, and lens is reasonably clean. It is in fair condition, and has a case, and it can be tested with film.

The camera is loaded via the bottom like a leica, but it also has a totally removable back with the pressure plate attached to it. The door tends to be a built in light leak, it has got a light trap in the form of a black oord in a groove, but this needs replacement to ensure the seal.

At least the infinity focus can be checked, unlike Leica.




The lens is a F2.8 50mm Stenheil Cassar, front cell focus version, set in a Compur shutter, 1/300 to 1 sec + b, this all works fine, the speeds all work accurately.




The removable back, with bottom plate still in place.



Camera top, with the two rewind release knobs, one re-sets the wind on after re-wind.




The problem is the film sprocket shaft, which thankfully on the Edinex design, only spaces each negative, and also turns the counter.

The broken part is a die casting in Mazak metal, and is distorted badly in the centre section. The top is broken away from the shaft and the sprocketed lower part.

This Wirgin Edixa Edinex  camera has not been used for a very long time. The die cast shaft is shot, but the end parts are still OK and I will machine up a new centre shaft, and fit the castings to a solid stainless steel version. The gears at the top are jammed as well, needs the whole top cover taken off to investigate the problem. They are brass, and should be OK.

The top of the Mazak die cast shaft has swollen and jamme in the chassis, should be OK after removal, and replaced with a proper steel version.

Because the shaft is dragged by the film as a frame spacer, the camera will operate with the spacing estimated on the wind on for each shot, with the shaft removed, also knocking out the film counter.

Not an easy camera to open up, Wirgin tended to rivet as well as screw things together, but the transport should be relatively accessible to do the repair.

In the meantime, a 99p Shop Agfa Fuji test film, with very  dodgy frame spacing, for the moment!!

Stephen.

[Stephen]

I have striped down the Wirgin Edinex for the repairs, after running a test film without the sprocket spacing........results later on.

Wirgin were odd, very odd in design of the interior of the cameras, it is all just so badly laid out!

What could be complete sub assemblies are split between the frame and and the body, making the checking of correct operation only possible after assembly!!

And all of this complexity just for a frame spacer and counter, without any interlock to the shutter!! You are expected to wind on after pressing the left hand rotary disk on the top, which trips the counter, and allows just one rotation of the sprocket, which does not transport the film, only spaces the frames out.

A quick redesign by Wirgin could have eliminated the sprockets completely like Finetta or Corfield Periflex, and lowered the parts count inside.

The only repair problem is the diecasting going rotten on the sprocket shaft, from Mazak metal oxide disease, the parts will be re-done in stainless steel, but I am also adding bearings to the shaft ends, as Wirgin ran cast Mazak stubs in stamped steel bearings, as bad an example of crude engineering as you can get!!

Fortunately the diecast sprocket itself is OK, and is alright to bore out and re-mount on the stainless shaft, saves a bit of more complex machining. If it breaks on machining then I may be able to use a Soviet Zorki spare sprocket part or machine one from scratch.

Typically with Wirgin a lot of parts are riveted together, the knobs for instance cannot be removed, but the do not have to come off fortunately for repairs, but it also means the main bearings cannot be easily lubricated. Lots of other bits are riveted, firmly and accurately, but it makes service difficult.

I can quite see why some repairers will not tackle Wirgin Reflex cameras, they have some of the same issues. Zeiss were totally different, they had screwed complex assembly, with little or no hand assembly or adjustment. The Wirgin parts are all filed to fit, or have bends in parts to get alignment. It is soundly made, but difficult to repair when it finally goes wrong.

The lens, a Steinheil Cassar 50mm F2.8 has cleaned up OK, just grease and dirt on the front element, the rest and internal are clean.

The blacking of the brass parts has turned to a golden copper colour around the lens, and will have to be painted matt black. They used hot Carbonate blacking on brass, and if you get the process wrong it fades in time. It is an old Victorian metal colouring process originally to make brass look like bronze, where the faded copper colour does not really matter.

Agi(ltd)., had the same troubles and also Royal and Pal in Japan, and Bolsey in the States, the blackened parts turn to an anodised copper look.

The Compur Shutter is in full working order, quiet, and accurate on main speeds with the slow speeds a fraction slow. The flash contact works,(sync at all speeds), there is no delayed action, which with Compur shutters, always makes them more reliable.

The side shutter release has a curious double arm with a cable release socket that bears on the side release, it works despite looking very odd, and makes the release very smooth, like a soft release.

I am sure it is all worthwhile repairing properly, they are a pleasant small camera to use, once very popular with walkers and mountain climbers in Europe, an easy to use miniature camera that was more than a snap camera, and rivalled similar spec Retina, Paxette and Agfa models. The earlier Edinex and Adox model version was popular with the German forces in the war, the collapsing lens allowed it to fit uniform pockets better than bigger, thicker and heavier models from other makers.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

By the way, a lot of the Wirgin Edinex exist with Retina shutters and lenses! They fit very easily, there is no shutter interlock, almost any lens and shutter can be fitted to the extending tube. I have also seen Paxette shutters and lens fitted, doing away with the collapsing feature, but allowing screw on lenses.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

I have made the replacement parts, or at least a test set to determine the correct fit, as the broken shaft has a ratchet device on the top of it, that allows forward wind, but is disengaged when the rotary rewind knob is engaged.

The ratchet top is a very small mechanism, and fitted a keyed end on the casting, which has to be duplicated on the replacement, to be able to recess the retaining screw. I may alter the design a bit to have a hollow shaft, with a drawbolt through the shaft, and the retaining device altered to a bolt, which will fit the the bottom of the camera better, where there is plenty of space.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

The replacement parts are in and it all now works very sweetly, I suspect far better than Wirgin meant it to. The bearings are now bronze, with stainless steel polished shaft, with the top end in stainless as well, the bottom is the old casting re-used to save replacing the teeth. I have loctited it all together, but it can be stripped out to have retaining pin added to the sprocket to ensure it cannot break free.
I have also stripped down the Compur and cleaned it out with alchohol (meths), and lubricated it carefully with thin grade nano oil. It is now even throughout the range of speeds.
The lens has been cleaned, all surfaces. The Cassar is a simple three glass element lens, usually good performance.
Should be back in action after the leather case is treated with leather soap etc. I will pick up the negatives for the test done without the sprocket spacing tomorrow. I expect an improvement after the lens clean-up, so another film this week.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

I changed my mind on the Edixa, and I am replacing the whole drive shaft, as after a film test I found the rewind did not release correctly, and that another cast mazak metal part had broken. So now the whole lot is stainless steel, solid, and with the rewind racket secured with a larger diameter screw. I can re-use the new bronze bottom bearing.



Stephen.

[philbirch]

Hi Stephen, I'm looking through some of the old posts about cameras similar to ones in my collection. I don't have this model but the articles you posted here are very interesting, and containing a lot of useful information.

I'm surprised you didn't get more replies.

You made some interesting points about the shutter/lens assembly not being linked to the body. I'm sure I could make a 'Frankenkamera' from parts of non working models. Hmmm.

[Stephen]

I nearly gave up on this one, all the mazak cast parts started cracking up, but I have found another non operating one and I will be using some spares from that one. I have tested the camera with cut film, it is only the transport causing issues.
Post war Edinex come with a huge variety of lenses and shutters, basically what was available to Edixa, who despite recovering the name and rights from the Nazi controlled Adox,(taken under anti Jewish regulations), found the old factory bombed out, and had to raise finance in the States to build a a new one at another site. Two of the three brothers worked as camera importers in the States, with the older third brother running the factory on a shoestring at first.
The first cameras after the war were still Adox brand, and even the first Edixa used Adox made parts, all returned to Edixa.
Stephen.

[philbirch]

I was looking at an Edinex l afew days ago, shabby but seemed to work. The guy wanted £50 for it. More than I would normally pay and a little too early for my collection. I hummed and hawed a bit then remembered this thread and that decided me, the film transport may have been useless. I went home with a nice 50mm lens for my Edixa Flex instead.

[Stephen]

I have the Adox version of the camera and that has no corrosion to the mazak, it seems that only post war suffer from this, and not always, which is typical of Mazak contamination, which occurs when minute amounts of lead get into the melt at the foundry. Mazak is a high purity product when used correctly.

Stephen.